Lori Mortensen on The Best Stuff: Picture Book Biographies (plus a giveaway)

I love picture book biographies. They’re right up there with chewy, chunky chocolate chip cookies. With those first delicious lines, I’m drawn into someone else’s world that reveals what shaped them and why their story is important. Unlike biographies for adults that pack in everything but the kitchen sink, I love picture book biographies because there’s only room for the good stuff. The best stuff. Stuff that allows readers to sidle up to remarkable people, past and present, and wonder what they might do with their own lives. Short as picture book biographies are, writing them can be challenging. Here are my tips for writing picture book biographies:

Who

Deciding who to write about is BIG. If they’re well-known like Benjamin Franklin or Abraham Lincoln, there’s a million books about them already. If you’re determined to write about them, you need to find an intriguing episode of their life that hasn’t been told before. The other option is to write about someone who isn’t well-known, but still has a great story to tell. Whatever it is, it needs to connect with young readers.

How Much

Although you may be tempted to tell someone’s story from the moment they’re born to their last breath—reconsider. Most trade picture book biographies either highlight the time of the accomplishment, or the formative years which led to their accomplishment. Not always. But mostly. The point is, there are options. One great example of highlighting the important moment in someone’s life is Ruth Law Thrills a Nation by Don Brown, one of my favorite picture book biographers. He opened Ruth’s story with these lines:

On November 19, 1916, Ruth Law tried to flyfrom Chicago to New York City in one day.It had never been done before.

There’s no growing up. No wanting to fly. No wondering whether to do it or not. Ruth Law was ready. Making the flight was the story. Page by page, Brown lets us see what happened the day she flew to New York City and the challenges she faced.

A great example of the second approach is also written by Don Brown in his book, Odd Boy Out, Young Albert Einstein. He opened the story with these lines:

On a sunny, cold Friday in the old city of Ulm, Germany,a baby named Albert Einstein is born.It is March 14, 1879.

Why the difference? By starting from childhood, Brown showed readers how Einstein’s brilliant mind worked even at a young age, and how it led to his Theory of Relativity.

Beyond the Facts

Lastly, when you start writing picture book biographies, it’s tempting to stick close to the facts as if you’re on the ledge of a tall building. Stray too far and you won’t be safe. Stray too far, and you can’t cling to the pillar of facts. However, the only way to succeed is to step off into the literary void and find your voice. How do you want to tell the story? Let yourself go and find out. It’s okay. That’s what editors and readers want.

This idea was a turning point when I sold my latest release, Away with Words, The Daring Story of Isabella Bird, about the first female member of the Royal Geographical Society. My first versions were lyrical, but very conservative and I revised the manuscript so many times for my agent, I lost count. Each version was lovely and dramatic, but something was missing. More revisions and rejections followed. In time, I parted ways with my agent and put the manuscript away.

Then, a few months later, I got it out again. I loved Isabella’s story too much to give up on it completely. At that moment, without an editor or an agent waiting for results, I felt a certain freedom to change things up. How did I want to tell her story? When I looked at it again, a metaphor sprang to mind that became the opening heart of the story.

Isabella was like a wild vinestuck in a too small pot.She needed more room.She had to get out.She had to explore.

You won’t find these words in the research. That’s me, letting go, telling Isabella’s story my way. It made all the difference.

So, the next time you’re writing a picture book biography, remember the good stuff. The best stuff. And treat yourself to a chewy, chunky chocolate chip cookie.

We are giving away a copy of Lori’s new book AWAY WITH WORDS: THE DARING STORY OF ISABELLA BIRD!

Leave one comment to enter.

A winner will be selected at the end of the month.

Good luck!

Lori Mortensen is an award-winning children’s book author of more than 100 books and over 500 stories and articles. Recent releases include her picture book biography, Away with Words, the Daring Story of Isabella Bird (Peachtree), about the first woman inducted into the Royal Geographical Society, If Wendell Had a Walrus (Henry Holt), Chicken Lily, (Henry Holt), Mousequerade Ball (Bloomsbury) illustrated by New York Times bestselling illustrator Betsy Lewin, and Cowpoke Clyde Rides the Range (Clarion, 2016) a sequel to Cowpoke Clyde & Dirty Dawg, one of Amazon’s best picture books of 2013. When she’s not letting her cat in, or out, or in, she’s tapping away at her computer, conjuring, coaxing, and prodding her latest stories to life.

For more information about her books, events, critique service, and upcoming releases, visit her website at lorimortensen.com.

I too love picture book biographies. They give me a window into a person’s world. I’m a sucker for learning about woman who were connected to nature and the natural sciences. I look forward to reading this book about Isabella Bird.

Finding the right subject seems like a huge task. Choose a famous person, there’s already so much written about them. Choose someone not so familiar, and you have to make a case for the reader to care.

Lori, you swept away the cloud behind “finding my voice” for me. Clear, concise and artful! Your visual of staying true to the facts as if standing close to a skyscraper’s edge will remain sketched in my mind. “Letting go in our writing is a dance with language and rhythms played by the music of facts. Your writing journey is an inspiration for me. Now I want a cookie!

I’ve studied picture book biographies, presented on them as a university instructor, and am attempting to publish one, but this post offered me wonderful advice that compels me to get back to that manuscript and strive onward. Thank you!

We find that picture book bios are perfect for middle/junior high students – they might not have the stamina to read a 200-pg book, but will grab these ‘easy’ books which give them a strong intro and (usually) resources for further investigation. And, many picture biographees are people middle rather than elementary students would be interested in.
Also, I love Don Brown’s work and use several of his books with my fifth graders.

I love picture book biographies, and have been running a book club with them for lower elementary children. It is thematic, and we do a project connected with the book. They are so important for inspiring children. And, adults too!

Your story is exactly what I faced when writing mine about Neil Armstrong, how far to stray from the facts, how much to give my voice reign. I split the difference to try to tell his story. Thank you for making me feel like I did the right thing!

I haven’t read biographical PBs, but I’m going to start. Thank you for the inspiration. There are so many people in history who are overlooked. I’m sure kids and parents are surprised when they find a story that is both informative and entertaining.

I have been so impressed with the quality of juvenile biographies hitting the shelves. AWAY WITH WORDS looks like a grand addition, Lori. Adding it to my Anticipation Board on Pinterest so I will be sure to put in a request for it.

I just finished my first pb bio. By finished, I mean, it’s about to go out on submission!!! I know that’s not finished if an editor buys it, because there will be more work. But…at least it’s to this point.

My first several drafts were so journalistic! Letting go, as you said, Lori, was extremely difficult for me. But once I did I felt like I was able to tell the true story in an interesting way.

Wow! You have written just how I feel about picture book biographies! I have discovered so many through the A Mighty Girl account on Twitter. It sounds like they would love Away With Words! I have some favourite historical figures I would LOVE to write about. Thanks for the suggestions – and the book choices. I will share them with my students!

Great advice for deciding what to tell and how to find the best way to tell it. So many great people whose bios have never been told! Can’t wait to read about Isabella. Congrats! (love Chicken Lily, btw!!)

Thanks so much for your thoughts. I am working on a PB biography of my own and struggling with some of the back and forth between voice and fact, life-span and accomplishment. Your discussion was really helpful.

Thank you for sharing your experiences and insights, Lori. I really enjoyed learning how you found your voice to tell Isabella’s story. What a lovely, engaging way to start a PB bio–can’t wait to read it myself! I’m sure I’ll enjoy it as much as I have Chicken Lily and Wendell.

Yes, some of them were published a while ago, but I think they stand up to any that are around today. Also, no matter when they’re published, the different approaches to share their stories are still the same. Of course, it’s always good to see what is being published more recently.

Do I need to take permission (of the main character, who is still actively working on an important cause, for example) to write a picture book biography? Or can I write it by piecing together the information from articles and interviews?